Oyster sauce is a rich, syrupy sauce used in Chinese cuisine. It’s made from oyster extract, but despite its name, doesn’t taste at all like seafood.
Instead, oyster sauce has an earthy, slightly sweet and salty taste. It’s a mixture of boiled oyster juice (which has caramelized), salt and sugar, and some versions also include soy sauce thickened with cornstarch.
Oyster sauce is dark brown, almost black in color, with a thick consistency. It is mainly used in stir-fried meat, vegetable and noodle dishes. In terms of regions, it is found in Cantonese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.
The price of oyster sauce is generally a tad higher than that of soy sauce, but can vary depending on the brand.
The best brands of oyster sauce
Lee kum kee – The best price
Although it’s not the best quality, this is made up for by its price and the fact that the taste is a very good imitation of a “real” oyster sauce; in the recipes, you can hardly tell the difference. You can find it here on Amazon.
Maekrua – Good value for money
The slightly higher price is made up for by the fact that here we find a good proportion of “real” ingredients. The result is a deeper, more nuanced taste to delight our taste buds! You can buy buy it here on Amazon.
Oyster sauce or hoisin sauce?
It’s possible to confuse these two sauces because they’re both Cantonese, brown in color, and have a thick consistency.
However, they are used in different ways in Chinese cuisine, and are made from very different ingredients. Hoisin sauce is vegan, as it is made from soybeans fermented with garlic, five-spice powder, chillies and sugar.
It’s one of the most popular condiments in China and is used in many dishes, such as chicken lettuce wraps, and in Peking duck sauce.
Uses of oyster sauce
Oyster sauce is not usually used on its own. It is added to other sauces, or to steamed vegetables (often Chinese broccoli in Cantonese cuisine) as a finishing touch. In marinades too, as with beef sa cha
The most popular way to incorporate oyster sauce into a recipe is in a stir-fry sauce. Because of the sauce’s velvety texture, foods to which it is added will take on a glossy, lacquered appearance.
How to cook with oyster sauce
When cooking with oyster sauce, it’s best to use a small amount at first. Because its flavor is so strong, it can overpower all the other ingredients in a dish if too much is added.
When used as part of a stir-fry, oyster sauce is usually combined with other ingredients such as mirin, soy sauce, rice vinegar or brown sugar, then briefly stir-fried with vegetables (such as stir-fried Chinese cabbage or stir-fried pak choi) and meat to coat them well. For example, in longevity noodles.
Some recipes with oyster sauce
Where can I buy oyster sauce?
Oyster sauce is normally sold in bottles, but is also sometimes packaged in cans. The most popular brands are Hop Sing Lung and Lee Kum Kee. They can be found in the Asian section of supermarkets’ international food aisles, as well as in Asian grocery stores and online here on Amazon.
Oyster sauce brands will vary quite a bit in price; be sure to read the ingredients list of less expensive brands, as they may contain caramel coloring and other additives. Lower-quality sauces will also have more of a fishy taste.
Although the vegetarian diet allows you to eat oysters, some people don’t eat shellfish, so vegetarian brands, such as Lee Kum Kee, use mushrooms as a substitute for oysters and are to be preferred.
Storing and preserving oyster sauce
Unopened, oyster sauce can be stored in the pantry for up to a year, but once opened, bottled oyster sauce should be refrigerated, where it will last for up to six months. Canned oyster sauce should be transferred to a sealed jar and refrigerated.
Substitutes for oyster sauce
There is no perfect substitute. One option is hoisin sauce, but the result will be sweeter. Or a little fish sauce and sugar.
